Newspaper Page Text
Vol. XI. >v r o. 5.
THUNDERBOLT’S VICTORY.
There are still a few towns in Massaehu
setls where the railway train is never seen
and where there is no telegraph. An uu
paiuted farm house, big and square, with
long barns and sheds in the rear, stood in
such a town.
It. was a day in September, as hot and
sultry as if it were midsummer A doctor’ 8
sulky bad driven up to ihe gate, and the
horse stood hitched to the post.
In the yard, lying under one of the elms,
was a boy about thirter n. He was thin and
pale; but there was a bright, resolute look
in his eyes that attracted one. Fred Ap¬
pleton had been in Warnh&m for a coupie
of months. He had been seut out by bis
uncle, that he might have the benefit of the
country air, after a long and prostrating
fever.
The lad’s eyes were fixed on the open
door which led into the hall. Everything
in tbe bouse was ominously s ill. Out of
doors the chickens were “clacking” about
the yard, and making sudden runs at in¬
sects.
Now alow groan tromthe room at the
left of the front door made Fred, start and
grow pale. His hands shut themselves hard
with unvolunta y motion. Not another
sound was heard for nearly an hour, and then
steps approached from within the house,
and then the doctor came out on the piazza.
He was fo'lowed closely by a middle aged
woman. Neither of them appeared to no¬
tice Fred, and both stopped at the gate,
“Doctor, how is it ?” asked Mrs. Morris,
in a voice that was not steady.
“Bad I very haul Its a case where I
cannot speak with hope. It was an awful
fall from a scaffoid, Take care of her as I
have said. It’s all that can be done. It is
heart-breaking to hear her call her father."
The doctor was evidently in a hurry. He
jumped into his carriage and rode away,
leaving Mrs. Morris standing there. The
woman looked alter him a moment with
unseeing eyes, when she wrung her hands,
violently, while she exclaimed in a low
voi;e: “If Charles had not gonel If he
only could be detained.”
Fred. Appleton rose, came quietly for¬
ward, and touched the woman's arm.
“Is Clara going to die ?" he asked.
"1 am aft aid so, It was a bad fall. Oh, it
is very hard 1”
“You just spoke about her father. Can
not word be got to him before he goes on
boaid the steamer ?’’ ifie bey asked.
Mrs. Moms trembied. The girl lying in
the house was her niece aud about the same
age as Fred. She was tbe only child of her
brother, Cb&rle Both, and dear as her own
daughter to her. The lather had gone. He
was on his way to Boston, to embark on
board a Cunard steamer for Europe. He
had lemaiued in Warnham until the last
moment and had just time to reach the city
il nothing delayed him.
"It can’t be done!" Mrs. Morris answer
ed. "It can’t be done I The telegraph sts
tion is ten miles away. Before any one
could go there Charles would have left, and
onca on tbe water nothing can reach him.
God help us 1 The first news he hears on
the other aide of the Atlantic will break his
heart I”
Fred, stood an instant, with his brigbi
glance fixed upon his companion’s face,
“Isn’t there time reach Northport f ’
to
he asked.
“There is no horse in town could do it,"
was the reply,
Fred’s eyes lighted up. “Thunderbolt
e^uld,” he said quickly, “and Mrs. Morris
I will ride biro. Clara’sJather shall know.”
Tbe boy started away, but he was followed
and his arms caught, as Mrs. Morris cried :
“He will throwyou I You know you are
afraid of him I You must not do it 1 And
you couldn’t reach there.”
"There’s a chance of my doing it, isn’t
there?” he turned back to ask.
“Just a chance.”
“And no time to lose I" cried Fred, as he
bounded toward tbe barn.
It was true that Fred, was afraid of
Thunderbolt,fur tbe ce lt had kicked him when
he bad first come to tbe farm, aud Fred hau
naturally felt a little timid afterward, for
his health had not been robust enough to
enable him to overcome fear as he otherwise
would have done.
Wien the boy entered the barn, a shrill
whinny greeted bun, and a long black
head, with big, wild looking eyes, was turn¬
ed towards him from cue ot tbe stalls.
He could oot stop to think -heather he
wished to go in the stall or not. He stepped
in quickly, with the bridle on bis arm and in
two minutes more the saddle was on tbe
horse’s back and the boy had flung himself
on also and ga’herd up the reins He knew
how fi reethe temper of the young horse was
acd he knew >hat be urgh: tak ■ a not on to
s‘on and k'ck and throw tfimsMf about that
hemitih- unseat :he rider; and h: kue*
eover^ten also Rat T* undcrbol.. if he chose migit
miles in so short a time, that he
might Lop- to reach Nor ; port inseaion.
Mis. Morris, sitting by the insensible
beard the rush of the horse’s feet as h
went out of the yard, and an inaudible prayer
was in her heart. She glar.ced at the clock
which ticked on the mantle, and she told
herself the thing the boy wss trying to do
was impossible. She knew that
holt had made great speed, and that b
promised woLderlul things if he eouid be
trained; but Low couid h>- have sufficient
endurauc for this trial, and how would be
«. O. bill,tta a, turn*
Northport. No, sh 0 must tot hope that her
b-other would be brought back He would
ail, acd every haul would tax* him further
Hamilton JoUHNAIa.
from the child he idoljged and who had met
such a fate. As the moments went on. and
the giil was qniet under the influence of
the opiate the doctor had given her, Mrs.
Morris’ thoughts dwelt more on the courage
of the boy who had just ridden sway. She
knew that no man would have liked that
ride, and that it was dangerous to anyoue
Then she fell to fearing that she ought not
to have allowed him to go.
What if he should be thrown and be
brought home crippled or dead ? But it had
all been so sudden that she did not stop
him. There wss no man about the place.
Her husband and the hired man were two
miles away, attending to some late cut grass.
They would not be at home until dark.
Mrs. Morris must do what so many women
have to do—wait and pray.
Along the narrow country road Fred.
Appleton was riding at a pace that made
him breathless at first, and his heart was
beating all through him in a way that felt
as if it would kill him; but he had no
thought of abating his pace. That must
not be.
There was not a braver boy for many
a mile than Fred. Appleton, and he had
made up his mind that it would take a
powerful effort to get him off Thunderbolt’s
back. Had he been in more robust health
he might hare enjoyed this furious start.
As it was, after a few moments when the
colt had settled down into its tremendous
strides, Fred grew accustomed to thus
cleaving the sultry air, and sat more secure¬
ly while he felt that savage exultation
which comes to one sitting on an animal
whoseemsto have power to annihilate space.
Fred, flung up his hand and uttered a
shrill whoop. He was monarch of a force
as good as any in the ‘Arabian Nights.’ He
would not exchange his seat on Thunder¬
bolt for any magical gift in that book. At
the cry tbe colt lurched forward still faster
and snorted as if the heavy fragrant atmos¬
phere were something which made him
diunk.
Already they had passed through one
village, which was three miles away from
the farm house he had left. The boy by
this time filled with inebriationjof his strange
ride. He wanted to go faster and faster.
His che p ks were red and his eyes burned.
He told himself that he must reach Buck¬
et Village by a certain time. Bucket Village
was half way to Northport. It was a place
where the whole business was making wood¬
en pails of different kinds,
Now, just, before he came to a sharp turn
in the road, there emerged from round the
corner tbe first of three tall, long wagons,
piled high with wooden pails. Fred., warn¬
ed by the pricking up of his horse’s ears,
gathered the lines more firmly in his hands
and made himself as strong as possible;
and ail precautions were necessary, tor
Thunderbolt leaped to one side as he shot by
tlte wagon. The boy swayed fearfully, but
he stuck, and then tbe colt rose high in the
air,his front feet pawing out,hiswhoie figure
tbe picture of terrible beauty Fred, had
reached the pitch where it was impossible for
him to fear anything, he was thoroughly fill¬
ed with excitement, but he was afraid that
Thunderbolt would now “cut up some of his
antics” and thus delay their arrival in
Northport. He pulled sharply al the lines
and pounded his heels into the horse s sides,
calling outauthoratively to him.
The man on the last wagon had jumped
down from his seat and was running up.
“Don’t touch him !” cried out Fred, who
was anxious above all things not to be
detained, and whose blood was by this time
boiling, and who felt as if he would be a
match for a hundred Thunderbolts.
The man fell back from before the paw¬
ing feet, looking in amazement at the fiery
eyed boy who sat upon the horse.
Ou the second tone of sharp command
ihe colt, as if in surprise, dropped his feet
and darted away, leaving the man staring
“ Good gracious 1" he exclaimed, as he
walked back to bis wagon. “Was that ’ere
a real horse an’ boy, or a appearance ? I
hope ’tain’t a forewarnin’ or nothin’ 1”
When Fred passed through the next vil¬
lage the clock was striking the hour, and
the sound seut a thrill of apprehension
through him, for it was ten minutes later
than the time at which he had calculated to
be at that place. He had come fast
enough ; it was not that. It must be that
the clock at tbe farm house had been slow,
and what a fatal slowness that might be.
Fred thought of Clara; of her father
stepping on board the bet ne.er to see Ler
again i and then came the remembraa«
a cart path which went across a piece
woodland and came out on the matt.road
almost nearer Northport than it was by the
traveled way. The path must be close by
here. He was sure he had not passed it,
and there it wa3. Without hesitation, he
turned his horse's head in that oirection
and rode on beneath the low drooping
trees. More than half way through he saw
ahead cf him a fallen tree lying directly
across the way. -Can you imagine the
pang that went through tbe boy’s heart as
b -aw that? No timet o go back and on
each side thicHy growing wood, fined with
» beaT J growth of briar and under rus .
Again he thought of the gir lying a*
home there, and moaning acd calling for
^ er father, and he resolved to tty.
He no more remembered himself than if
he could not be hurt.
“ Go on, Thunderl" he shouted.
The colt was not half broken in any way.
He knew nothing of leaping; but he sow
.. obsttelo W... «.»d b
inrinct was to goxiver it.
He flew over it He gathered hi.fore legs
auder him, ho row la lb» air like some
HAMILTON, GEORGIA, FEBRUARY 2 S 1883.
winged thing, and, as if upborne, he went
over the tree and lan led safely on the other
side without having touched a twig of it.
As for Fred, was there any breath left in
him ? Be thought that it did not come
back for several minutes after the horse had
landed 1 but he was conscious of a swelling
sense of magnificent triumph.
The colt was as wet as if it had been in
the water; the perspiration dropped off
him as he went, and bis blazing eyes pro¬
truded and seemed to emit sparks.
Three minutes later, horse and rider hnd
entered the outskirts of Northport. Thun¬
derbolt was ruuuiug now. Everybody stood
and gazed. It "vas as if some demon horse
had gone by. Did he have wings, or was
it a mortal steed ?
In two minutes more they had reached
the depot. Fred was off bis back almost
before the animal bad stopped, and had
dashed into the station.
“Telegraph 1” he gasped out to the clerk,
who instantly put himself in readiness, see¬
ing how urgent was the case. “Telegraph
to Charles Roth, Wharf of Cunard Steam¬
ers, East Boston. Clara is sick. Come
back. Have you got it ?’’
The clerk nodded.
“Make it go, then. I’ll wait,” whispered
the boy, aud he gave his name, and then
sank back helpless and trem sling on a set¬
tee. The reaction had come. Something
gurgled up to his lips. He fumbled for his
handker, href He heard some one say:
Mercy 1 what’s the matter with the boy V"
And then he had his handkerchief to his
mouth and saw that tbe linen was stained
with blood.
He dimly knew that two or three people
hurried to him. He smelled the hartshorn
and tasted brandy but he was not conscious
of thinking of anything but “Would Mr.
Roth get it ?”
Some questions were asked him, but be
did not reply.
Outside were half dozen men clustered
about the dripping and panting horse.
How much time passed Fred, did not
know. He was laid on a lounge, and he was
willing to lie very quietly. No more blood
came and he dropped off'n a kind of doze.
He started up instantly, however, when be
heard a voice saying. "Here's your
answer.”
He took the paper an read :
“Am coming. C. Roth."
“No, I’ll go,” said the boy, getting on his
feet. ‘ Where’s Thunderbolt ?”
“You are not going on the horse," said
a man, speaking with authority, “111 take
you ; m bu „„ y >>
" n
l was the doctor who had been summon
ed, and who carefully questioned Fred, as
they rode homeward, the colt having been
put in a stable until he was called for.
Contrary to tbe doctor’s fears, Fred, was
not ill, although be had to be very quiet for
a week or two. A lien he reached the house
and was allowed to tell Clara himself that
her father had not sailed, and that he wns
coming to her, he thought the look on her
face paid him far his journey. When, the
next day, he saw thy girl lying in the arms
of her father he was mure than ever glad,
“I should never have forgiven myself if
I had sailed,” said Mr. Roth to the boy. “I
owe you more than I can tell. The doctor
says Clara’s joy at my return has given him
a hope that her system may rally from the
injury.’ )
The gentleman was holding Ired. s
hands in noth his own as he spoke, and his
eyes were glistening.
“I huuderbolt won! said Ired-, gaily
“Now 1 think of it, really seems as if I did
not ride a horse, but some sort of imp in
tbe shape of one nothing else could
have made such time, though.
When next Fred, went near the colt tt
was evident that Ihe animal was glad to see
him, and scon the whole household had
learned that hunder o t wou o cy
Fred. better than any one else, and the boy
began to have an affection for the beautiful
beast that had etrnu jb so we .
A few weeks later Mr. Roth came upon
Fred, as he was sitting in t e arn oo ing
0V “What ran? me do A’^ you TaC think , . e \ I T v have just doner , r ,
aE ,! re J . "f oo o. up.
“How can I guess, he asked.
,, T I , have i bought ui Thunderbolt i u i. of t tf Mr.
&
. s „
rrr '
Fred.’s face fell.
“You will take him I suppose, ..
away,
he said in a low tone.
“No; I have bought him for a dear friend
of mine.’*
Somatjug m ^ | .Tt.'L.g'TJl ’
Mr. Roth went _
Mill you take him, Fed.. g
h™ for jou.
Fred’s eyes danced. He sprang to hts
feet. I d rather have him than anything
in the world 1” he cried excitedly. Then be
went on, with hesitation. But tsn t he a
very expensive present ? Perhaps 1 ought
not-” H ,
Mr Roth T All you f have to ' do 1 | to r tefcs ..
- *
Je horse and he careful ol yourself and
^ gprang {0 thp side 0 f the co [ t and
Arew bis arm3 aroun d the shining neck.
“We never’U part iu the world,” he cried
eagfcrly Thunderbolt’s bright looked
And ey«s as
if the owner knew what hia young master
eaid.-Exchange.
The daily earnings . in the cotton facto
r:es in this counter are nearly doub ew
th, — “ '“•
spindles is 10,603,032, of looms, 2-o -
lhe ®c«ual^n«mptton of sotton U«r year
wa* 1,700,90o halos.
How to Use the Eyes.
There is no other sense to which people
trust so much as to sight, yet there a few
who have ever taken any special pains to
improve the faculty of observation. In all
casts of exciting events, witnessed by many
persons, it is astonishing to note the wide
variations in the stories of the incidents
told by those present. This is due princi¬
pally to the faulty observation of the spec¬
tators. Details are confused in their minds
because they have not learned to use their
eyes properly. It is true that some per¬
sons have great natural gifts of observa¬
tion, while others seem unable to fix mat¬
ters upon their memories in their true rela
tion to each other. Thus, for example, al¬
most any one, passing a group of auitnfcls
in a field, can distinguish three, four or five
without counting them. Even when whirled
past in a railroad car most persons can
glance at a very small number of objects
and be instinctively able to tell just
bow many there are. But as the ixu her
increases, the attention must be more and
more fixed, and the mind straiued to “take
in" the exact number at a glance, until,
beyond a certain point, a few o-servers can
be accurate in the appreciation of the ob¬
jects they have merely flashi d their eyeB
over. Yet this accuracy is of great value
to people in all the affairs of life, and ofien
matters of the gravest import depeud
wholly upon the impressions that have
been left on casual spectators by u series
of events. It is manifest that a mind
trained to note all that the eye mechan¬
ically sees has a great advantage over one
which gathers only a vague picture, in
which, even when all the features are pres¬
ent, cause and effect are inextricably con¬
fused.
It is an old story that Robert Houcjon
used to cultivate his powers of observation
while walking rapidly along the boulevards
of Paris by selecting a shop window and
noting in his rnind the objects displayed 1
therein. Constant practice enabled him
to remember every object in Iho most va¬
ried displays after one rapid glance as he
passed on the run. Probably it is not
every one who can become a Robert tlonn
din, but any one can cultivate the powers
of observation far beyond their original
capacity. It is related that when the Aus
trians were anxious for news of an intended
revolt , . the , _ , ,he , **** ,, ,
,n “« 8 ' nst 8
man was sent to watch a certain bridge
I ’ e -V°“ d whl <= h < h * Au8lria " *»»<* wcmld
<’ 8V8 been *°° much endangered to go. On
bis return at night he was questioned as to
everything he had seen, but nothing appa¬
rently had happened having any special
significance. “You are sure you have told
everything you saw?” replied the Austrian
general. “Everything,” replied the man,
that an old beggar with a flail crossed the
bridge; but be was of no consequence.
He must have been crazy.” “Why so?”
asked the general. “Because be only walked
to the waler and hit it three limes with bis
„ S ? Well, that , will ... do . „ said ... the
°
general, who had thereby learned that Haf
would cause the ly rod to rise in three
J b f Rm j hia 8Dtic8 „ ie (uture
of lhe yrol might , BVe bee n different.
Undoub , edly cbildbo . )d is the time
oaltivating the ob3erviog fflc , ltt y. As with
inemoryj ou which it somewhat depends,
practice is of the utmost importance to its
p r0 pt*r development. Gradually u
a second nature to observe secure cly, and
I10 effort is required. It has furthermore a
yery strong und valuable influence on char
ac p>r. The man who is exact iu his obsiu*
va ^ ou events is positive in bis knowledg
Rnd thorough in other matters. Accustom
ed be j ng r ,g b j ; n one thing, it stiffens up
his whole merital sttuctu re and emphasizes
^ cbaracteri8tic3 iu otber things. It is
true that the fault8 are aggravated, also; but
any rate decision is given to the charac
^ ^ & sturdj eyen ;f u pf0 .
duC( . g rome „ vib is preferable to a flabby
weakness which is detrimental equally to its
^ ^ ^ kin(Jer .
gortens some attention is paid to training
^ the eye and mind to work together, but it
wftl] b „ jntr()riuced aB , praclica ,
course in the higher grades of schools, ln
^ becoming a wearisome task, a
study , , . the . observation , . would ... be
- in. a genuine
relaxation . to most minds, . . and . a skillfu: ,
teacher might even torn it into a real recra
ation.—Philadelphia Record.
„ „
^
^*^1. dT“Jb warram for ?”
I kno."
^ 1 licted h * t * he h ‘“: . be .‘," do .' n > ’
“You licked him !"
“I licked him. And I got right py dose.
‘ How do yon make that out ?
“ Ve n I told yon, then yon find out. I fix
, ;i| . d ; nneri e0 be go py b ; 9 yor ^ Then he
^ hifl band p(jhhif und , ay b „ got a ba5n
in his pack. So he lie down on de lounge
and groan like he vas very pud. Ven he
fee! ^ pet ter. it vas too late to go py bis vork,
8 " be gum to the greek und cat n
60me vjgb He don’t goora pack pc fore it
yaa oighed d „ ,be vish vot he got vas
a meeseraple leedle pull-head vat yon gould
; ®’d gound ; put be schme.il like some peer
parrels more as dwendy dime*. Uud den
he say.—
Vat for rubber an dt ready ^
I dell him —
‘ ‘Aou^echpl.t same of dose fire ^ wood,
und 1 d iik mit you.
Dhenhegatch py his arm, und sgream,
‘"Ob ! I got dhe rheumatic*.
"»♦
^.n . . , . . . ... ,
oP “*•
"Dhen I vas madder as you dhink, Uud
1 1 says,—
“Ven you dold me you >jot a bain in your
pack, I say nothing. Utid now you got
double up on apgount you got some of dose
rheumatics, I say it vas all righdt. Put, py
golly I ouf you got dose bain in dke pack
und dot rheumatics vat don’dt goome only
ven you got some vork to do, dhen I lick
you on sighdt.”
“Very well,” said the judge. If you lick¬
ed him as you say, "what do you want a
warrant for?”
“On aggount he shall be looked up und
oudt dbe vay, so I but schmearease on my
owu pread, py schimmeny 1 Vot you
dhinks? A’n'dt it ?”
Goldsmith.
Oliver Goldsmith ran a great risk of being
set. down as a shiftless vagabond. His
genius saved him, hut his Reuius waB dis
covered ulrnost by accident. He became
most illustrious of Bohemians. Few lives
of forty six years have comoassed a greater
variety of fortunes uud misfortunes. He
was born in Ireland, the son of a poor cler¬
gyman, which wus calamity number one.
In childhood small pox marked him for its
own. At Trinity College, Dublin, he led a
"sizer’s" life, wearing its badge of poverty,
aud fulfilling its menial offices. At.an ear
ly age he mastered the tine art of borrow¬
ing. The pair of scarlet breeches iu which
he presented himself to a bishop for exam¬
ination for orders cost him his chances in
the church, that color being considered
fashionable bnt not canonical. Once bis
passage was paid to America, but tbe ship
sailed leaving him in tbe midst of a good
time with friends inland. Again he was
given £00 to go to Loudon td study law,
but be lost tbe money at play in Dublin on
the way. Then he undertook to study law !
ut Edinburgh, whence he wss present¬
ly driven by his creditor* to the Con
tinent. For the next year or two he
“tramped it’’ through Holland, France,
Germany and Switzerland to Italy. Then
he buried himself in London, and at last
camo to the surface holding a pen in his
haul wnh a drop of ink at the end of it.j
It was tbe drowning man clous h: ng »t the |
straw. Thereafter Goldsmith th^revfews S as Gold-)
seeker, a hack-writer’ for a'ud j
the booksellers, an unlucky publisher, and j
a jolly good fellow; hand and glove with
Johnson, who afterward wrote his epitaph,
with Smollet, and with Sir Joshua R-y
nolds; and at last a successful author on
his owu account; ho both conquered fate
and tempted her; but fast as he made
money, ho spent it faster, and when bo
died his fame was about all that was left to
him.
But what a fame it is 1 In a score of
witching traits, no writer in the English
language has ever equaled him, and few
men have won in a fuller degree the sym
pathy and kindly regards of their race.
With an inexhaustible fund of experience
(o d , w with u marv , , 0UB power of
tnuiRma| . thr re(ll into , he imaginary,
wUh refinement ft ..d delicacy of
' vilh h ““ or ‘ tenderDM 8 *" d ^
*") l * Rtyle “» 8 PP™ h ",""
cha,m f T° a '!' 1 ^^7. b. >•* 8
f tore o( wr,, ‘ ,ms l " prn ' ,<! BM(J VeW ’ ^
best of which are immortal.
Subjects for Thought.
Always taking out and never putting in
soon reaches the bottom.
The art. of life is to know how to enjoy a
little, and to eriduro much.
There is no sweeter repoe« than that
which is purchased by labor.
A wise man reflects before he speak*, and
reflects on what he has uttered.
The head, however strong’it may he, can
accomplish nothing against the heart.
Tbe wise man looks for happiness beyond
the narrow ken of personal interest.
If you want to gain a reputation of eccen¬
tricity, and to be universally dreaded if not
hated, blurt out the plain truth ou ad ocea*
sious.
Nature is a hook of sweet and glowing
purity, and on every illuminated page the
excellence and goodness of Gml are divinely
portrayed
Adversity has ever been considered a* the
state in which a man most easily become*
*.*-*-•«*«- T
Idsteam not (he man -ho haasta of hi*
universal and impartial love. He who ha*
uo special fondness for country or Wend
i)a3 8eldom raoch of e rther. In other words
the man ,Jloves who likes every J place and every
pr;r , ou perwn and no
place . a ‘ ail ,,
True hope is based on energy of charac
A strong mind always hopes and he*
always cau.** t« hope, because it know tbe
mobility of human affairs, and how , ight
a circumstance may change the wbo.w
course of events.
Though you may sleep all tbe day the
8U0 still shine*. Though to you the moun
tains may be draped in mist* it has not un
loosened its granite roofs. Though yon
may be caught amid the swiring snow* tbe
spring is hastening ou.
^ ^ ^ tQ0 , o( thp , pifU> - and j(
keen P it in imnerfeet ** condition ’ how
. , , ■ fa
. j 'Zg&’&S+ZS iap pi De ,g ar) d usefulness are not in
i bu‘ they are of very difficult attainment
) aud 0 , 7My ucrelia bie quality.
Lie on the Prairie.
The prairie presents the spectacle of a
curious social li» existing between the most
diverse kinds of mimals. The prairie dogs
are more numero'slj represented in the far
west of America tun any other animal, al
ways excepting theloaust It is a species
of rabbit, yellow, o rather earth colored,
but more lively tlim the common rabbit
How they obtained tie name of "dog" is in
comprehensible, for '.hey have nothing in
common with it, uiless perhaps it may
have been bestowed ipon them because of
their constant yelping and barking. They
live in the earth] in fanihes of many hun¬
dreds. and often burrowfor a long distances
under the ground, theirmbterranean dwell¬
ingbeing known as prairn dogtowns. There
is nothing more amusing tian to watch the
proceedings of these churning little crea¬
tures. All the day long they may he seen
outside their houses, going to and fro from
one hole to another, sometimes sitting up
on end like a squirrel, iheir forepaws crossed
over their breast, sometimes gnawing at a
root, but always alert, and always in move¬
ment
Tbe strangest thing, however, in tbe Be-;
hemian existence of these creatures is that
their home is shared by two curious lodgers
—namely, night owls and rattlesnakes,
Aud this is by no menus the case only as
an exception ; on the contrary, these iugre
dmjita of Macbeth's famous incantation
scene are invariably found in every one of
tbe underground settlements. Sometimes,
indeed, the unfoil is perfected into a true
four leaved clover, by the appearance of a
fourth guest, the horned frog. It is most
likely that the relationship t xi ting between
the prairie dogs and the rattlesnakes is
too much like that of the mole arid the
hedgehog ill the fable, only that the prairie
dog dors not alow ttsi If to be driven out by
itssclfinvitedgne.it. It is only when the
coil of the rattlesnakes, which are found
here in myriads, becomes too grout, that
the owls and the prairie dogs bid adiiu to
the halls of their fathers, and wander on
arm in arm through this vrI« ot tears, to
begin iife over agnill where . l:-e. ) jllt
goraetimM lb(1 ow) is (Jg dangerous to the
d Rp tb , ral( | PfinB kes; for when
hardly pr „ 8B(d by hurig( .,. u , () ,arp beak
(,pU ' 8 "*** * k “ U
First Glimpse ol Holland.
A very large opal or the inside of a moth
rr-ofpearl shell would make a good hack
ground for this thin strip of distant Holland
that lies blinking away in the early morning
light. A long, narrow ribbon of a picture
il makes, with its little spots and dots and
splashes of color here mid there, accidental
hero and methodical there, as if purl of a
pvtern. By carefully looking through a
glass these cots of various shapes and s>z"s
soon resolve thomsilved into windmills
ccwH, sheep, Dutchmen, churches and
steeples, end little red tiled houses with
green or bine slyitn rs. 1 do not pretend
that this is a peculiar or strikin g instance
of the first glimpse of a fore go strand con¬
sisting of cows, windmills, *ud steeples—1
know of otber such places—hut I contend
that the Dutch sand slip is cleaner, the
cows are sReker and talh r, the windmills
more jattuty and active, the moro
spick and span aud more recently out of a
toy box, the «p< cks of humanby
rotund and well-to do. Never, except on
some other trip of Dutch strand, will you
see just such specks us these. And as w
draw nearer the shore, and tlio bite of color
take more definite form, there is no mis¬
take—this is Holland, and no othoi land at
all.—Harpers Magazine.
At a public meeting in Pitt field there
wai an unavoidable delay in the procced
iugs, and the moderator settled himself
near the edge of the ) latform, took oqt a
pocket pen, and in half an hour had sev
oral business litters ready for tbe pos
office. It was ebaracteristic of the taan
and one secret o f his success ban been that
he could and would employ his leisure
t ; me —,h„ time that most pe. pl>* wane. He
habitually carries n pocket volume of some
good author, and when waiting for the cars,
for his dinner, or delayed in any way, or
when riding alone, he reads and read* wi;e
the whole mind. About ttie time he com¬
menced practicing lew, he found that it
■WHS ■ difficult for him to use figures readily
nrl fap ; d | y Purchasing a little tablet,
whenever he found bin*. If unoccupied he
<*»<;> dTsioo mui’iipiic..
ot
. d ■ d ; , t rapi .'ly, or in
arith
rf, ‘ IC the ’', av.-«*>e young y man would
' ‘ ‘ ' "
, ,
fu.l-fledged lawj.r -» o!, -g * ’butthe
average young mart dor. , *aec> ed.and Ur>
lawyer wbo oid sums for practice tia* A -
though ordy terty-f wo years o ag . e
now judge of the fiupemr oun -nd
Judge Barker f-n’. exp* c .......mm
go biguer.—Pt-f.-W -a-p-e.
T „, o^^^ler endeavored
wgjk # Wp , , ( .j d f, r
. jo a lowI1 0it wvt, but was uu
ab u to ’,,ff ec t an entrance. “That boo e i«
, , nli „ r . r BH ; d a r „. d » 6t r,an as he
ouVne a « Be d door^and along Tbe travJ.-r bar. gad away
lhe }»d '-.’- 1 -> t4,out
-Yon. there, tbe hot».-% ie-cL wi ’
The traveler twisted away a * knob, and
' L,
. , fc „, d ,. BIr out “I
say sir that house is closed!” “Don't yon
— r a— <>«
•traveler West I m trying to do i* W “P* a
Sl-00 a Year.
SMILES.
Little Laura thinks that barrels must
be feminine, because they have hoops,
A Harvard student always wears gloves.
Some people never wash their hands.
If family jars wore all confined to the
closet, how many happy families there •
would be.
War are people at the seashore like
chickens ? Because they do so much
scratching.
It strikes us that it shows a great want
of breeding to be so anxious to retaru a
compliment
Mamma:—“O h, you naughty boy, to be
drowning flies." Fred:—"I’m not drown¬
ing ’em; l’m putting ’em into the water to
cool 'em.”
A motiifu left her little boy a few min¬
utes one day. When she came buck he said
to her: “1 feel just like a widow, without
you, mamma "
“I’ll make you dance 1" cried an irate
mother, pursuing her erring son, slipper in
hand. "Then,” remarked the juvenile, "we
shall have a bawl.”
"What is the worst thing about riches ?”
asked a Sunday school teacher. "Their
scarcity," replied a boy, aud he was imme¬
diately awarded a ebrorno.
An English writer says that “Americans
have tbe most money aud are the biggest
fools " Any fool could make that remark,
and it requires a fool to believe it.
Miss Mury Ann Littl ■, of Leavenworth.
Kansas, rejected a suitor because he could
not support her, 8he weighs 360 pounds.
Just imugiue what a fat thing that fellow
lost.
“Dm you hear nbont your eeeentrio
friend B-?’’ “No; what did ha do?”
“.Shot himself!" “Well, well! — who’d
have thought he had that much sense
left r
When a young lady went to look at a
para ml the other duy, the clerk said : “Will
you please give tire shade you want?" ”1
expect the parasol to give the shade I
«>'“<■” said tbe young lady.
i “Madam..,", he said, sorrowfully, “I shall
never be young again. 1 ' “No,” she replied,
regarding him with a cynical expression;
“when nature makes a mistake she never
"itb the same mu-
1 tonal.
-
A lady ono« reqnestel her husband to
inform her "what difference there was be¬
tween the meaning of export and trans¬
port?” "My dear," replied the gentleman,
"if yon were exported, I should be trans¬
i ported."
A London paper says that, frog's leg*
when eaten with a "delicious dressing” of
parsley and onions, are great delicacies,
"and highly nutritious.” We. prefer our
frog's legs in their original mud—that is to
say, wo don’t care to kill a poor frog just to
cut his logs.
, Bluff old Mrs. Jeffries : "Mrs. Benjamin,
I beard that your son had been quite ill."
j Mrs Betijaifiin : "Yes, he has been suffer
jn(( from , lonra!g ; B ofth „ heart » Mr8 Jef
.
.
frios: "Uraph! I might have guessed os
: much from seeing him hugging Laura
PbillipH so often.
“flow are yon,’ Brown?” exclaimed
Pendersou. “I have been on a t regular
wild-goose chase, and l’m glad I found you
at last," Feuderson supposed bo must have
siiid something smart the way the people
around him laughed, but he can’t for the
life of him tell what it was,
A Parisian Item. —"Why is the straw
before the house ? I hope the Madame is
not ill." “No, no. Monsieur, only in bed
the last three days." “Indeed 1 and not ill,
you say ?" “The fact is, Monsieur, she ha*
lost two of her avorite carriage horses, and
euunot bear to hear the sound of wheels.”
qn Mr. J-raying tha“, on a certain
or . oaB „ jn be bad lo . t hig head, Miss D
replied, sweatly, that ho ought to congratu¬
late himself that it wasn't his pock’tbook.
-\y bv ?' be a ,jj ed „ '‘Because,” she replied,
' your pocketbook is always well filled, but
vour head doesn’t seem to have anything.
An Irishman, fresh from the "old coon
! try,” saw a turtle for the first time, and at
j once made up hi. mindto capture it The
S “Faith. '
and >e had heiter iet looao the ho-lt je
j have, or I'll kick ye out of the very box ye
1 sit m. be jabers.”
Ul ' , 8 r,,.nrn«*ek * oa, - n > ns > cit of A Aahhnrv 7 Park <
- .
"‘T etiquette required her to
call upon some now next do ir neighbors,
ntA0 i ou her porch one afternoon and
screamed: “So glad you came down. Hope
you >n ma ke a long stay. Delightful weather
lBn * tit? Ain t the mosquitos bad? Going
driving tced., T “There!" satd Mrs. 0 to
herself almostout of breath, 1 guess I ve
^ ^
“Wht don't yon send your children to
school, Ike?’ asked the superintendent of
public instruction of an old colored man.
’Wall, boss,'I’so tried oV school busbies*
an’ it won't work." ‘How’sthat?" "Wall
you see, my son’s been studyin’ ’rithmetic
fur some time, and t’other day I axed him
what was de county seat of Africa, an he
couldn’t tel! me. When a boy studies ’rite
metic free years and cas't figger out such
• him *-H- ter qait. *~j-t Now ha * .wdyia **wa*»jr
‘ ‘
.